Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
New York : Catapult, 2018.
Pages
293
Description
"When the army officer Chike Ameobi is ordered to kill innocent civilians, he knows it is time to desert his post. As he travels toward Lagos with Yemi, his junior officer, and into the heart of a political scandel involving Nigeria's education minister, Chike becomes the leader of a new platoon, a band of runaways who share his desire for a different kind of life. Among them are Fineboy, a fighter with a rebel group, desperate to pursue his dream of becoming a radio DJ; Isoken, a sixteen-year-old girl whose father is thought to have been killed by rebels; and the beautiful Oma, escaping a wealthy, abusive husband. Welcome to Lagos is a high-spirited novel about aspirations and escape, innocence and corruption. Full of humor and heart, it offers a provocative portrait of contemporary Nigeria that marks the arrival in the United States of an extraordinary young writer."--Jacket.… (more)
Awards
Encore Award (Shortlist — 2018)
Moore Prize (Shortlist — 2018)
Booklist Editor's Choice: Adult Books (Fiction — 2018)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2017-01-07
Physical description
293 p.; 24 cm
ISBN
0571268951 / 9780571268955
Similar in this library
User reviews
LibraryThing member streamsong
When Nigerian Army officer Chike Ameobi is ordered to kill innocent civilians, he and his good friend desert the military to strike out on their own.
One by one, they pick up a varied band of followers. The first is a deserter from the rebel militia that Chike has been fighting; then follows a teen
In their quest to find new lives and stay hidden from those who are pursuing them, they flee to the city of Lagos, the largest city in Nigeria. They stumble into the secret hideout of Chief Sandayo, the education minister who has stolen millions of dollars and become involved with a journalist whose desire for truth has put him on the wrong side of a political gang, necessitating that he join other Nigerian refugees in London.
Lots of twists and turns in the plot, but the biggest character is Lagos itself. Wikipedia says that the population of Lagos and its surrounding environs (conurbation – new word for me!) is somewhat disputed but is probably around 21 million, making it the largest city in Africa. Chike's band gives a wonderful slice of life of some of the groups finding haven and cover in this huge city. I definitely came away with an appreciation of some of its many faces.
I received a copy of the audiobook through LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. While the narrator, [[Robin Miles]], did a fine job, in the beginning my ear struggled to understand the Nigerian accents, especially the first chapter in which a band of soldiers were in informal conversation.
4 stars
One by one, they pick up a varied band of followers. The first is a deserter from the rebel militia that Chike has been fighting; then follows a teen
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age girl who was separated from her parents and survived an attempted rape, and a woman fleeing an abusive marriage.In their quest to find new lives and stay hidden from those who are pursuing them, they flee to the city of Lagos, the largest city in Nigeria. They stumble into the secret hideout of Chief Sandayo, the education minister who has stolen millions of dollars and become involved with a journalist whose desire for truth has put him on the wrong side of a political gang, necessitating that he join other Nigerian refugees in London.
Lots of twists and turns in the plot, but the biggest character is Lagos itself. Wikipedia says that the population of Lagos and its surrounding environs (conurbation – new word for me!) is somewhat disputed but is probably around 21 million, making it the largest city in Africa. Chike's band gives a wonderful slice of life of some of the groups finding haven and cover in this huge city. I definitely came away with an appreciation of some of its many faces.
I received a copy of the audiobook through LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. While the narrator, [[Robin Miles]], did a fine job, in the beginning my ear struggled to understand the Nigerian accents, especially the first chapter in which a band of soldiers were in informal conversation.
4 stars
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LibraryThing member jamesgwld
Onuzo did a brilliant job taking the reader to Lagos. She journeys through a culture far removed from my own, yet captivates me. The characters reflect so much in humanity, the good and the bad. I came into this book with no expectations and hope you do the same. Although Onuza whirls her story on
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corruption and incompetence of the government, it is merely a backdrop to five unlikely friends trying to start new in Lagos. Show Less
LibraryThing member justagirlwithabook
I'm not sure what the deal was with this one for me. I was given this book in audio format for Early Reviewers, and I usually LOVE audio formats of books, nonfiction or fiction, doesn't matter. But there was something about this book that I just couldn't get into and I really struggled to finish
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it. I think the narrator did a really good job, so I don't think that was the issue necessarily. I think some of it was that in listening to CDs, I couldn't speed up the audio and was stuck with the slower pace. I think the other aspect of the book was that it felt like there just wasn't a lot going on - there wasn't one singular moment that gripped me and had me hooked. I do wonder if I had had this book in physical paper if that would change my opinion on it. I didn't dislike it, but I definitely didn't love it either. Show Less
LibraryThing member mabith
I read Onuzo's first book The Spider King's Daughter earlier this year, and while I didn't find it an amazing read, I saw a lot of potential in the writing. While Welcome to Lagos is a more solid novel, there were still a lot of issues in the writing.
It's the story of a disparate group of people
The strength is in showing us Lagos and a few slices of Nigerian life. I greatly enjoyed aspects of the book but couldn't enjoy it as a whole novel.
It's the story of a disparate group of people
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who wind up banding together. My trouble was that Onuzo didn't show this process well. One minute the were strangers who disliked each other and the next they were living in semi-harmony. It wasn't a believable transition and this impacted my enjoyment of the entire book.The strength is in showing us Lagos and a few slices of Nigerian life. I greatly enjoyed aspects of the book but couldn't enjoy it as a whole novel.
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LibraryThing member thorold
This turned out to be a surprisingly light-hearted story about a bunch of ill-assorted characters brought together by a common need to run away to the big city. The sort of thing that would probably make a good film, but feels a little bit flimsy as a novel, especially as it still seems to be
On the other hand, there's lots to enjoy in this book - some fascinating and amusing observation of the colourful life of Lagos, some very sharp bits of dialogue, and a nice send-up of the business of broadcast news as practised in the 21st century. Onuzo is certainly someone to watch.
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locked somewhere in the moral universe of A Christmas carol, where all it takes for the wealthy to redeem themselves from decades of corruption and exploiting the poor is a quixotic act of charity. It's postmodern enough to accept that the quixotic act of charity doesn't actually change the world, but that doesn't seem to matter. Needle-eyes seem to be opening up wherever we look.On the other hand, there's lots to enjoy in this book - some fascinating and amusing observation of the colourful life of Lagos, some very sharp bits of dialogue, and a nice send-up of the business of broadcast news as practised in the 21st century. Onuzo is certainly someone to watch.
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LibraryThing member andrea58
I received this audiobook from Library Thing Early Reviewers. I initially had issues with the CDs but was finally able to listen to them. I did not know what to expect from this book. I guess I thought it would be a story of boy becoming soldier. But it was so much more. The primary characters are
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introduced slowly so you get a good understanding of who they are and what they are doing. It’s an odd mix of people thrown together who somehow manage to function much like a family in some difficult circumstances. I thought it was wonderful. It was sad, funny, political, romantic, redeeming, and much more. Sometimes it’s hard for Americans to truly get a sense of what it is like to try to survive in a country like Nigeria. But the author painted a very clear picture. Show Less
LibraryThing member Steve38
A page turner of an adventure story. Five unlikely comrades are thrown together in Lagos and find themselves involved in the consequences of large scale corruption and political intrigue. A good story well told even if the plot stretches credulity here and there. A sympathetic view of the great
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city of Lagos though. Show Less
LibraryThing member Linyarai
I wasn't impressed by this book, I didn't love any of the characters or the writing, and the story felt patchy and impartial.
LibraryThing member DrFuriosa
This was an intriguing premise with a lot of small subplots and not a lot of payoff in the end. It's a fast read and not bad at all, but I kept comparing it less favorably to The White Tiger (which I really enjoyed).
LibraryThing member sriddell
This story follows the path of a very unlikely group of people, each one a refugee who finds themselves in the city of Lagos. They meet through different circumstances and form a sort of family trying to survive.
The individual members of the group represent many different parts of Nigerian society:
Rounding out the cast of characters are an independent newspaper publisher who has returned from an education abroad, two white British journalists (one who has made an effort to understand the culture; the other utterly uninterested and indifferent), a small group of non-Nigerians who make up the journalists' crew, and a few Nigerians living in England and America.
The author did a good job of weaving all these characters into the story. While much of the story centers around the refugees before and after arriving in Lagos, it feels like the title also applies to the reader of the book as we're introduced to the various elements of Lagos and Nigerian society.
The story is told with a mix of fatalism and optimism, with an equal chance of opportunity or disaster around every corner. The book starts a little slowly as we're introduced to many of the characters, but was really good once the characters were all assembled.
The individual members of the group represent many different parts of Nigerian society:
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soldiers, a young militant, a city girl lost and separated from her family, a former house-wife on the run from her husband, and a very corrupt and out-of-favor politician. Rounding out the cast of characters are an independent newspaper publisher who has returned from an education abroad, two white British journalists (one who has made an effort to understand the culture; the other utterly uninterested and indifferent), a small group of non-Nigerians who make up the journalists' crew, and a few Nigerians living in England and America.
The author did a good job of weaving all these characters into the story. While much of the story centers around the refugees before and after arriving in Lagos, it feels like the title also applies to the reader of the book as we're introduced to the various elements of Lagos and Nigerian society.
The story is told with a mix of fatalism and optimism, with an equal chance of opportunity or disaster around every corner. The book starts a little slowly as we're introduced to many of the characters, but was really good once the characters were all assembled.
Show Less